Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 24. Chapters: Abbé Faria, Acacio Gabriel Viegas, Anil Kakodkar, Claude Alvares, Damodar Dharmananda Kosambi, Froilano de Mello, Joaquim Goes, José Gerson da Cunha, Peter de Noronha, Raghunath Anant Mashelkar, Roque Pinto, Rui de Figueiredo, Vithal Nagesh Shirodkar. Excerpt: Raghunath Anant Mashelkar (Marathi: , born January 1, 1943 in Mashel, Goa) is also known as Ramesh Mashelkar. He is the former Director General of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), a chain of 38 publicly funded industrial research and development institutions in India. Before becoming a leading architect of India's science and technology policies, Mashelkar did pioneering work in polymer science and engineering, which earned him many international laurels. He is deeply committed to championing the cause of the developing world. Mashelkar had a difficult childhood and his mother could not support his college education. Mashelkar went to school barefoot and almost gave up studies. Still he managed to be a rank holder in the Matriculation examination. During his science experiments, his principal and science teacher Mr. Bhave was doing experiment on concentration of magnifying lens upon a paper until it burns. When it started burning he pointed Mashelkar and told, "Mashelkar, this lens is you if you concentrate on studies then one day you will reach the sky".His personal experience of ascendance from dire circumstances, improvements in India's infrastructure, and changing patterns of scientific emigration and immigration have convinced him that India is fated to become one of the world's greatest intellectual and economic engines. Mashelkar studied at the University of Bombay's Department of Chemical Technology (now the Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai) where he obtained a Bachelor's degree in Chemical engineering in 1966, later on a Ph.D. degree in 1969. Mashelkar is presently the president of Global Research Alliance, a network of publicly funded research and development institutes from Asia-Pacific, South Africa, Europe and USA with over 60,000 scientists. He is also the President of India's National Innovation Foundation. Mashelkar is the former President of the Indian National Science Academy and the UK Institution of Chemical Enginee